Kotoko attacked by robbers

Joy Sports can confirm that players and management members of Asante Kotoko have been attacked in the early hours of Sunday morning hours ahead of their league game with Hearts.

The team was lodging at the Tadoma Hotel in Taifa, a suburb of Accra when the incident happened.

Team officials tell Joy Sports that players and officials were woken up by robbers, while General Manager Opoku Nti and Operations Manager George Kennedy were tied. 

An official said "systematic stealing took place and the robbers had machetes, knives and other weapons."

The four armed robbers mugged General Manager Opoku Nti; Operations Manager, George Kennedy. They also raided the rooms of striker Dauda Mohammed; Assistant Coach, Michael Osei and Head Coach, David Duncan.

They ripped bedsheets of their victims, tied their hands and legs before throwing them out of their rooms. A total of GHȼ25,000 was detected missing after the attack which lasted two hours.

The incident has been reported at the Mile 7 Police Station. Opoku Nti, George Kennedy, Michael Osei, David Duncan and Dauda Mohammed although shocked by the frightening experience are all doing well and assisting the Mile Police in their investigations.

However, information says the team have decided to go ahead with the much-awaited clash with Hearts at the Accra Sports Stadium which kicks off at 3:30pm.

The team's official Twitter account said: "It's an unfortunate incident but our players & technical team are unfazed by this and are working in earnest for the big game."

It went on to tweet photos of the team outside the hotel getting themselves ready: "Players [are] being taken through some warm up drills to shake off the nerves after the incident," the statement from the account said.

Crucial clash

Sunday's game, a week 25 fixture of the FIrst Capital Plus Premier League, is anticipated primarily because both teams are surprisingly in the bottom half of the table.

Hearts, in 14th, are facing relegation while Kotoko are not far off, in 11th.

Joy Sports has been building up all week long to this big game with a series of previews. 

Click here to read the final, big preview – team news, stats and more 

Also, the following articles provide more perspective on the clash

CLICK TO READ: ANALYSIS – 8 players to define Sunday's Super Clash 

CLICK TO READ: Best 5 moments of last Hearts v Kotoko games in Accra

CLICK TO READ: Ahmed Toure wants total Kotoko focus  

CLICK TO READ: Ali Maradona lashes out at 'inconsistent' GFA DC  

CLICK TO READ: Eddie Ansah: "We've got Kotoko figured out"

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Follow Gary on Twitter: @garyalsmith. Get more updates on Facebook/Twitter with the #JoySports hashtag. The Joy Sports team will be providing an hour-long buildup from 2pm on the Sports Arena. Catch the online updates on Facebook and Twitter @Joy997FM